As always, the New Yorker analysis is acute. It does not, IMHO, go deep enough into the issue to start making a difference, in practice, on the ground.

With regard to complaints that this does not have anything to do with 'Math-teach', allow me to suggest that *effective* teaching of math (along with much else) during schooldays would have considerable positive impact on bringing about *effective education*, which in turn would have considerable positive impact on bringing about 'democracy' to the USA (or to any other nation, for that matter).